CAIRO
By Hagar al-Dosoki
Conflicting death tolls emerged in Egypt in the wake of violence that marred protests staged by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi on Friday.
The Health Ministry said that 14 people were killed in clashes between police forces and protesters in five provinces. The worst scenes of violence were seen in Cairo, where six people were killed, spokesman Ahmed Kamel Salah told Anadolu Agency.
Around 60 people were also injured in the confrontations, he added.
However, the pro-Morsi National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy has put the number at 17, a figure confirmed by a security source as quoted by the country’s official MENA news agency.
The clashes in Cairo claimed the lives of 10 people, the source was quoted as saying. Around 255 members from the Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which Morsi hails, were arrested, he said.
For the last 185 days, pro-democracy protesters have staged daily rallies to denounce what they describe as the July 3 "military coup" against Morsi and demand his reinstatement.
Last week, the military-backed government officially designated the Brotherhood as a "terrorist group."
The move came one day after a deadly bombing struck a security headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, killing 16 people, mostly policemen.
The Brotherhood, however, has denied any involvement in the attack, which it denounced as an "act of terror."
englishnews@aa.com.tr
